A prestigious honor for Conway's Steve Daniels

Steve Daniels, athletic director for Conway Public Schools, has been selected by his peers as the 7A Athletic Director of the Year for the 2013-14 school year.

The award is voted on by all ADs each year at the AD winter conference held in Hot Springs.

It marks the second straight year athletic directors from Faulkner County have been honored. Last year, Stephen Wood of Greenbrier was 5A Athletic Director of the Year and Michael Carter of Conway Christian won the 2A award.

Daniels, a UCA graduate who coached 11 years at North Little Rock and 14 at Conway, spent five years as an Assistant Principal at Conway High School before taking over the reins as Athletic Director at Conway four year ago.

During his tenure as AD, Daniels has focused on providing more opportunities for students and securing activities that provide an economic boost for the Conway community. He was instrumental in restructuring the athletic program and increasing the number of seventh-grade programs from two to four.

Hosting a state tournament requires lots of work on the part of the school and also entails a lot of community involvement. Under Daniels, Conway has hosted state tournaments in volleyball, basketball, golf, track, baseball, and softball. He also serves on the Arkansas Activities Association All-Star committee, which was instrumental in returning the All-Star games back to Conway.

He prides himself on the partnership between the Conway Athletic Department and the Conway community.

“To have a successful athletic program requires a total team effort,” he said. “I am extremely fortunate to work with people in the school district and community who see the value athletics has in our schools. I am most proud of the fact that our athletes continue to be the leaders of our schools and community.”

Conway has won the conference All-Sports Award from 1993-2014. In the last four years, Conway athletic teams have produced seven state championships.

Daniels added, “I have the utmost respect for my peers and to be voted the 7A AD of the year by them is a great honor.”

He is a member of the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association and serves on its executive committee.

“The bond between the athletic directors across the state in all classifications is strong,” he said. “Sharing ideas, asking questions, and getting advice from other ADs is never a problem.”

Steve will receive his award at the AD luncheon on Thursday, June 26, during the All-Star clinic.